Pubdate: Thu, 21 Mar 2002
Source: Port St. Lucie News (FL)
Contact:  2002 The E.W. Scripps Company
Website: http://www.tcpalm.com/portstlucie/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/973
Author: Will Greenlee, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

17 STUDENTS ARRESTED IN SCHOOL STINGS

March 21, 2002 PORT ST. LUCIE -- He studied, did homework and took tests.

He struggled with algebra and prepared for the dreaded FCAT.

But the Port St. Lucie High School student who transferred to St. Lucie 
West Centennial High School during Christmas break wasn't just another teen 
juggling adolescence and academics.

He was an undercover St. Lucie County sheriff's deputy buying everything 
from marijuana to ecstasy -- even a .38 caliber handgun.

The investigator's efforts paid off Wednesday as deputies arrested 17 of 20 
students involved in the illegal activities he witnessed. Most of the 
arrestees were juveniles.

"The charges very much mirror what crimes have been detected in the school 
system over the years," St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said. "We 
didn't find anything new."

The new twist was assigning a deputy to pose as a student, a scenario that 
presented a number of challenges, including registering the "student" and 
having people pose as his "parents."

"He's effectively had to live two complete different lives for the last 
five or six months, and that is tremendously burdensome," Chief Deputy 
Garry Wilson said.

Sheriff's officials declined to reveal the name of the deputy, who entered 
Port St. Lucie High as a transfer student before moving to St. Lucie West 
Centennial. Neither would they arrange an interview.

Most of those arrested face marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy charges. One was 
known for selling bags of marijuana in the men's room.

Mascara said investigators chose Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie West 
Centennial high schools for the operation "out of a hat."

"This deputy had clear direction that he was to open himself up to anything 
that was offered to him," Mascara said. "That was done on campus, and if 
there was something that was to be brought off campus to on campus, his 
direction was to make sure that it stayed off campus for the safety of 
students."

In one case, the deputy, who did not carry a weapon, asked whether anyone 
could get him a gun.

"Not only did the person bring a gun, but brought a gun with the serial 
numbers filed off," Mascara said. "He made the deal at school, and it was 
structured where it was delivered outside the school grounds."

Schools Superintendent Bill Vogel said the students will be subject to 
discipline, including expulsion.

"I think it was unique in that it gave us an inside look at our schools 
from a student's perspective," Vogel said. "We're always concerned about 
drugs on our campuses, and the results were about as we expected."

He said Mascara approached him with the undercover operation months ago, 
and they began preparing during the summer. Only five people knew of the 
operation: Mascara, Wilson, Vogel, the deputy and the deputy's supervisor.

Mascara said five arrests were made at each school Wednesday morning, with 
deputies trying to be as discreet as possible. The remaining arrests were 
made off campus.

Three deputies went to each school, and a school administrator asked the 
students to come out into the hall. They then were escorted to a conference 
room before being taken to the St. Lucie County Jail for processing.

Port St. Lucie police spokesman Chuck Johnson said his agency has 
considered placing an undercover officer in the high schools, but said 
police don't have the resources.

"We just do not have the manpower in the narcotics section to do these 
long-term, large investigations," he said. "The sheriff's office does, and 
we applaud them for their efforts."

Wilson said no teachers or school employees were involved and that the 
deputy was "very careful about the situations that he could have been drawn 
into."

Mascara said it took time for the deputy to develop contacts and that at 
first he was considered an "outsider."

"You have to understand how difficult this is for a law enforcement officer 
posing as a high school student," Wilson said.

"Quite frankly, we were almost at the burnout stage of trying to maintain 
this facade and, let's face it, high school was tough enough the first time 
around, you have to go back again? I mean, that new math is terrible."

Despite the rigors, Mascara said he plans to conduct similar operations in 
the future.

"Next week, next semester, next year a new kid sitting in the classroom 
could be an undercover officer," he said.

According to the sheriff's office, crime in St. Lucie County schools rose 3 
percent, from 371 crimes in the 1999-2000 school year to 383 in 2000-2001.

 >From 1999-2000 to 2000-2001, assault and battery, burglary, theft, 
vehicle theft and vandalism decreased, but sex offenses, drug, alcohol and 
weapons crimes and disorderly conduct were on the rise.

The Palm Beach County School District, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office 
and West Palm Beach Police Department worked together to conduct a similar 
operation at Santaluces, Wellington and Forest Hill high schools in Palm 
Beach County in 1996.

That operation netted 16 students and two adults.

In addition, a similar program in Palm Beach County in 1990 led to the 
arrests of 10 students.

This type of operation has landed law enforcement in legal trouble at least 
once.

In March 2000, Orange County deputies posing as students at Seminole and 
Oviedo high schools arrested 32 students and adults at the schools on drug 
charges.

The action spurred about 24 lawsuits accusing deputies of entrapment and 
contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
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